Tampa Republic

Tampa, Florida – Christina Lynn Morris, a 46-year-old resident of Plant City, has entered a guilty plea to charges of wire fraud. This announcement was made by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg. Morris is facing a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and has agreed to forfeit $293,202, an amount linked to the crime.

Court documents reveal that Morris held positions as a Fiscal and Business Analyst at a public research university with multiple campuses in the Middle District of Florida and served as President of a charitable organization based in the same region. Between July 2021 and July 2023, she exploited these roles to embezzle over $290,000. Her method involved using her University credit card, credit cards issued to other University employees, and the Association’s business bank accounts for unauthorized transactions at various companies. These transactions included repeated bulk purchases of gift cards.

Morris further utilized the Association’s tax-exempt status to evade sales tax on items bought with the embezzled funds and gift cards. To disguise these unauthorized transactions as legitimate and conceal her fraudulent activities, she submitted falsified documents and false attestations to the University while withholding critical information from the Association. Her actions resulted in financial losses amounting to $261,632.17 for the University and $31,569.87 for the Association.

The investigation into this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.